Welcome to Medical News Today

Healthline Media, Inc. would like to process and share personal data (e.g., mobile ad id) and data about your use of our site (e.g., content interests) with our third party partners (see a current list) using cookies and similar automatic collection tools in order to a) personalize content and/or offers on our site or other sites, b) communicate with you upon request, and/or c) for additional reasons upon notice and, when applicable, with your consent.

Healthline Media, Inc. is based in and operates this site from the United States. Any data you provide will be primarily stored and processed in the United States, pursuant to the laws of the United States, which may provide lesser privacy protections than European Economic Area countries.

By clicking “accept” below, you acknowledge and grant your consent for these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Please accept our privacy terms

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, personalize content and offers, show targeted ads, analyze traffic, and better understand you. We may share your information with third-party partners for marketing purposes. To learn more and make choices about data use, visit our Advertising Policy and Privacy Policy. By clicking “Accept and Continue” below, (1) you consent to these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form, and (2) you consent to allow your data to be transferred, processed, and stored in the United States.

Register for a free account

Keep moving to halve the risk of Alzheimer's

Published
Sunday 13 March 2016 Published Sun 13 Mar 2016

By Yvette Brazier

To dramatically reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's, grab your gear and get down to the gym, out into the garden or even down to the local dance spot. A new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, finds that any kind of exercise can improve brain volume and cut the risk of the disease by 50%.

Physical activity increases brain volume, research suggests.

The Alzheimer's Association estimate that Alzheimer's disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans. Numbers are expected to rise to 13.8 million over the next 30 years, as the aging population expands.

There is currently no cure, and interventions focus on prevention through lifestyle management.

Dr. Cyrus A. Raji, PhD, of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, and colleagues teamed up with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania to find out more about the effect of aerobic exercise on the brain.

They looked at a cohort of 876 patients enrolled in the 30-year Cardiovascular Health Study, across four research sites in the US. The average age of participants was 78 years.

The team examined details of participants' memory over time and administered standard questionnaires about their physical activity habits, which varied widely and included gardening, dancing and riding an exercise cycle at the gym.

MRI scans reflect benefits of exercise on the brain

The investigators also carried out brain scans through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and they analyzed them using advanced computer algorithms. This enabled them to measure the volumes of those brain structures, such as the hippocampus, which are associated with memory and Alzheimer's.

They then correlated the participants' physical activities to their brain volumes and summarized the weekly caloric output from these activities.

Results showed that the more physical activity an individual did, the larger the brain volumes in key parts of the brain, and specifically the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, including the hippocampus. Moreover, individuals whose brains benefitted from additional physical activity had a 50% lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia.

Around 25% of the participants had mild cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's. Increasing their physical activity was also found to boost their brain volumes.

George Perry, PhD, who is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, hopes that the current study will be the first step toward objective biological measurement in the field of Alzheimer's.

Dr. Raji adds:

"We have no magic bullet cure for Alzheimer's disease. Our focus needs to be on prevention."

2019 Healthline Media UK Ltd. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.